ShiroKuro Monogatari
by IzettaVonEylstadt
Summary: 白黒物語 Weiss Schnee, perfect little Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, is not without her guilty secrets. 1. She's gay. 2. She's kinky. 3. She LOVES anime. What should we do at RemCon, Remnant's premier anime convention? Something gay. Crosspost from AO3.
1. Melody of the Beginning

Notes -

1\. Faunus take the place of Japanese people and culture for this AU - anime, ramen, pocky, kinbaku, etc are from Faunus culture.  
2\. Faunus can have multiple animal characteristics.

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Weiss was a girl who had to portray a certain image. As the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, there was always an immense amount of pressure on the young woman. She needed to be the perfect princess, poised to inherit the largest dust company in all of Remnant. Her father was a strict man that expected nothing but the best from his youngest daughter. She was under constant press scrutiny, existing in the public eye since birth.

Many wondered if Weiss had any interests of her own – she was only ever seen carrying out business for her father and socializing at company parties. Additionally, the heiress was in her mid-twenties but never had a romantic relationship with any man – a fact that tabloids loved to run with. Weiss quite enjoyed the articles that speculated she was in a relationship with an alien that lived beneath the Schnee Manor. She made a point to speak very little publicly, preferring to remain aloof and mysterious. That left room for people to believe what they wanted, which left her frequently described as bratty and entitled.

Beneath this carefully sculpted image, Weiss hid many things - several of which were likely to get her disowned and removed as the heiress of the SDC. There were three big ones: She is very very gay, very very kinky, and entirely obsessed with anime. The young woman spent every spare moment of her private life watching anime, reading manga, drawing fanart, creating amvs, writing fics, browsing Remblr, taking notes on kinbaku tutorials, screaming about yuri, buying collars and rope online, and cosplaying her favorite characters. She was very careful about her private activities, using special overseas bank accounts for purchases, a secret P.O. Box for deliveries, and a private, unlisted, encrypted scroll for her internet activities. She personally built a false wall in her closet to conceal all her embarrassing possessions.

Now, an outsider might wonder why Weiss would hide such facts about herself. Atlas is an exceedingly conservative kingdom. Women are held to incredibly dated standards regarding their place in society. Her position as heiress was tolerated thanks to the power held by the SDC, but many men couldn't believe their ears when Weiss gave the orders. Anti-sodomy laws, a lack of legal gender change options, and strict man-woman marriage laws left the LGBT community in a dire position. Many left as refugees to the kingdom of Vale as soon as they could, otherwise they simply lived in the closet. "Openly LGBT" was a foreign concept.

Anime was a creation of the faunus and so it was extremely popular on the island of Menagerie. Over the course of many years, the art form had spread across Remnant, capturing the interest of many. However, even if anime was popular throughout Remnant, the medium was largely looked down upon. The fans were labeled freaks, creeps, weirdos, losers, and so on. Atlas in particular had a strong aversion to anime, likely due to the kingdom's conservative views and dislike of the faunus. Many Atlesians were incredibly racist and the kingdom's laws left faunus facing injustice at every turn.

One of the primary faunus rights abusers was none other than the Schnee Dust Company. The company bought faunus slaves to be exploited in every SDC dust mine. SDC CEO Jacques Schnee was open with his hatred and resisted all attempts to advance faunus rights in Atlas. The largest dust manufacturer was a force that couldn't be denied. Because of this, many anime villains had features reminiscent of the Schnee family – white hair, blue eyes, pale skin, and a snowflake emblem or theme.

Weiss discovered anime when she was in her early teens. She was out shopping for clothes when she was handed a pamphlet by a man on the street. The man held a large sign that displayed a picture of a councilman with the text - FAUNUS LOVER. The councilman was facing controversy over legislation he proposed – simply trying to make slave beating illegal. The councilman was soon voted out of his position and was unable to find a job anywhere in Atlas. The pamphlet outlined the many ways to identify Faunus Lovers, from supporting faunus rights to watching a certain kind of media: anime. The blub on anime was accompanied by several pictures, so that the upstanding Atlesian could identify and report the offender. One of the pictures showed a pair of girls kissing – and the rest was history.

Weiss initially had an extremely negative view of faunus people. The white fang constantly attacked her family and several assassination attempts were made on the young heiress. She was also surrounded by anti-faunus rhetoric from her father and the Atlesian media. Despite her upbringing, she was able to look past the racism and enjoy anime. Participating in anime fandoms brought her into frequent contact with faunus, who were quick to correct her racist views. The frequent conflicts with faunus online and the depictions of her family as villains had almost discouraged her from continuing to enjoy the art form entirely.

Fortunately, Weiss made friends online. A faunus under the username "gaynightshade" made a point to educate Weiss. Her actual name was Blake, occasionally Blek, a lesbian cat faunus with a strong sense of justice. She corrected the ridiculous ideas that Weiss was indoctrinated with: faunus do not love the taste of human blood, faunus do not become savage at night (nor with the full moon), faunus do not have sex with and cannot have children with the animal they share characteristics with, faunus are not intellectually inferior to humans, and many more. Blake even showed Weiss pictures of the conditions in the SDC mines. Weiss would never forget what she saw.

* * *

~Present Day~

Today was a day that Weiss had planned for almost a year. She had always dreamt of going to an anime convention. The cosplays, game tournaments, industry panels, parties, merchandise, and music – Weiss desperately wanted to experience it. Her online friends were constantly going to conventions and telling her about how much fun they had. Weiss hung onto every word, trying to picture herself there and experience through their words. She was the heiress of a multi-billion lien company, but that money served mostly as a prison. She could have anything money could buy and more…but none of the things she actually wanted. After years of missing out, Weiss finally decided that she had enough.

She carefully built her cover story, requesting vacation time and preparing a secluded vacation in Mistral. Behind the scenes, however, she was purchasing tickets to RemCon, Remnant's premier anime convention held annually in Vale. She kept her planned attendance a secret even from her online friends, in case they drew a connection between her first con appearance and Weiss Schnee's vacation. Blake was also attending the convention, as she did every year. _"I would love to meet her…but what would she say if she found out that I'm the heiress of the company that killed so many of her friends?"_

Weiss had attempted to advance faunus rights during her time working under her father. It was a careful balancing act for her; it wouldn't be good if she was labeled a Faunus Lover. She pushed her father on mine working conditions, arguing that continuing to purchase slaves was far more expensive than simply providing breathing equipment and adequate food, water, and medicine. This raised a few eyebrows on the board of directors, but they couldn't argue the numbers. She knew it wasn't nearly enough, but it was all she could do now. _"If I run into her then I'll talk to her…but I won't go looking for Blake. I don't think I could face her."_

She had cosplays prepared for all four days of convention, with additional disguises for the off hours. Her bags were packed and ready well in advance of her departure. One whole case was dedicated to snack food and instant ramen. She booked a hotel room using one of her online names, keeping her room for one day before and one day after the convention weekend. It was Wednesday night, all the preparations were complete…Weiss just needed to sleep. It was almost midnight, but she was far too excited to sleep. Weiss reached over to her nightstand for her scroll, opening her DMs to gaynightshade.

[Useless Lesbean]: hey are you awake?

[gaynightshade]: heyy yeah i'm still packing for con

[gaynightshade]: did you want me to check out anything for you this weekend?

[Useless Lesbean]: no thx

[Useless Lesbean]: just have a good time c:

[Useless Lesbean]: where are you staying?

[gaynightshade]: ruby yang and i have a room across the street from the convention center

[gaynightshade]: theyre hella excited

[Useless Lesbean]: oh lord can you handle them?

[gaynightshade]: lol they promised to be on their best behavior

[gaynightshade]: any chance of you coming this time?

 _"Oh shoot…what should I say?"_

[Useless Lesbean]: no….as usual

[gaynightshade]: im sorry

[Useless Lesbean]: well i'll let you get to sleep, it's late

[Useless Lesbean]: good night! have a good weekend~

[gaynightshade]: night o/

* * *

She woke early and rushed through her morning routine. She wore her usual business outfit, she had to keep up appearances for at least a few more hours. Her father was in the dining room having breakfast when she entered. "Father, I am going to leave now for my vacation. Thank you for allowing me this free time." He nodded, not taking his eyes off of the newspaper he was reading. With that, she gathered her luggage and left.

Her personal airship was waiting at the rear landing pad. It had an advanced autopilot program, which allowed her to fly to certain destinations without a pilot. The takeoff and flight over Atlas was relatively uneventful. She could see on her scroll that the news covered her departure from the Schnee Estate. A panel of talking heads discussed why she would be taking a vacation now – meeting a lover, getting an abortion, joining a clandestine meeting of Atlesian elites? While amusing, she could only stand so much chatter about her; she switched to re-watching her favorite anime as her airship departed the Solitas continent, gliding over the ocean on the way to Mistral.

When her airship reached fifteen miles off land, her scroll buzzed to signal it was time for the next step of Weiss' plan. She let her hair down from her signature off center style and ran a temporary hair-dye comb through the cascade of white hair. She changed into her casual clothes – a light jacket, simple v-neck top, jeans, and a baseball cap with her light pink hair pulled back in a ponytail. A bit of makeup altered the shape of her scar to complete the disguise. She trussed her luggage together with a length of rope and waited at the airship door.

 _"This plan may have been a little excessive…but I really don't want anyone to find out about this. Here comes the hard part…"_ The scroll buzzed; it was time to go. The airship door opened, the roar of wind filling her ears. Weiss dove from the aircraft and leapt down a series of her glyphs toward a small dot amidst the blue water – a speedboat she bought through her offshore accounts, requesting it be delivered to these coordinates. The wind tore at her exposed skin, so she slowed her pace slightly – if she took too long, she'd run out of aura. Weiss landed heavily on the boat, the repeated glyphs left her winded.

The remainder of her journey was simple. She put her sunglasses on, broke open her first pack of pocky, and kicked her feet up to enjoy the sea spray. Hours later, her ship pulled into a secluded mooring she rented for the convention. It was well into the afternoon by the time she ordered a cab and rode into town. The scenery was much different than Weiss was used to. Atlas was perpetually cold and the landscape reflected that. The people did too. Even the city felt more laid back than Atlas. The sky was growing dim and the city began lighting up for the night. Weiss was glued to the window, taking in the city. Cab arrived at the hotel, startling her out of her awe.

The hotel was abuzz with activity as Weiss exited the cab and paid the driver. The line for the receptionist was out the door. She joined the end of the line with her luggage, standing behind a group of human and faunus that were chatting excitedly. This was a sight that you would never see in Atlas; Weiss found herself openly staring. The group was chatting about concerns around a new anime release that Weiss was really looking forward to, but she couldn't bring herself to try and join the conversation – as much as she wanted to rant about Remnant Animation's constant queerbaiting.

Eventually, Weiss reached the front of the queue. The receptionist was a faunus man with red hair and a pair of horns that she couldn't identify.

"Name."

"W- uh, Lily White."

He frowned slightly at her. "Uh huh, okay." He tapped away at his computer.

Maybe it wasn't the best idea for the SDC heiress to attend an event that drew so many people. She was bound to be recognized by someone…. Sighing deeply she shook her head slightly. _"I came here to have fun, so I will. I planned as best I could and…I am not my father."_

The man interrupted her thoughts, "I found your reservation. I need a credit card for incidentals and your scroll to program it for the room."

As he worked on her card and scroll, Weiss started to sweat slightly. The faunus man kept glancing at her, trying to figure out why this shortie gave him such a bad feeling. The moment eventually passed and he handed back her items. "Your room is on the top floor. The elevators are over there." He gestured lazily. "The concierge will help you if you have any further needs."

She scurried over to the elevators, breathing sigh of relief. The elevator she got into was completely full and she was squished in the back corner with a fox tail in her face. _"I wish I was taller…"_ she whined internally. Eventually, Weiss was the last person in the elevator; the rooms on the penthouse suites were the most expensive. Despite mostly relaxing all day, the stress of this new experience had really tired her out. She unlocked the door with her scroll and fell into the room.

The room was spacious with a king sized bed at the center that she took no time diving into. _"Ahh this is so nice…but I should prepare for tomorrow."_ She dragged herself off of the bed to the luggage she had unceremoniously dumped near the door. She laid out her cosplay for tomorrow, filled the tub for a bubble bath, and heated up some ramen. She rarely had the time to spend taking a bath like this so made sure to enjoy it. _"This is simply divine,"_ she thought, slurping down her food and enjoying the soothing lavender bubbles.

There was ample time after her bath to thoroughly brush her hair and moisturize her skin; the skydiving earlier left her face a bit raw. _"This is starting off well."_ She hummed happily as she slid under the covers. _"I wonder what Blake is up to right now? I…hope I get to see her at least once this weekend."_

With that last thought, Weiss drifted off to sleep.


	2. Weiss Discovery

Weiss awoke to her scroll playing a random song from the thousands of anime OSTs stored there. Instead of scrambling to silence the alarm like she did most mornings, she let it play through. _"Finally I can use these alarms and ringtones! I don't have to worry about getting in trouble!"_ She signed contentedly, pressing back into the sheets; this would be the first day of total freedom she had in her entire life. The challenge ahead would be allowing herself to be open about her interests – something she had little practice in doing. _"I'm better at putting on a face and hiding my feelings than I am at actually being myself…hopefully I can change that here."_

She leaned over the bed to reach her suitcase on the floor, extricating her brush. She slid the brush through her silky locks, looking over at her overflowing food cache. _"As much as I would love to have ramen for breakfast…I think I'll go to a coffee shop. I think there was one downstairs."_ Coffee would get this day started right and there will be plenty of time for ramen later.

Today's disguise would be a cosplay of one of her favorite characters. She used a couple hair dye combs and her hair curler for a wavy platinum blonde and green tea highlights hairstyle. A bit of concealer for her scar and carefully guided liquid liner for a winged look. She slid a purple tunic over her blouse, stepped into over-the-knee boots, and fastened a blue belt at her waist. For the final touches: a retractable wand and pointed hat. Admiring herself in the vanity mirror, she whipped the wand around and tried a couple poses, blushing slightly. She hadn't decided yet whether or not she would let people take pictures of her, assuming someone would ask.

Pushing the question from her mind, she gathered her scroll and returned the wand to her belt – the badge pickup line would open soon. Weiss froze as she reached the door, her hand trembling on the door handle. Her first time cosplaying…her first convention…her first real step outside as herself…with a community that quite possibly would reject her. After such a long time of wishing for this, it was finally here… _"You can do this."_

She braved the stuffed elevators down to the lobby. Half an hour later, she was swept by the tide of people toward the convention center, venti soy vanilla latte in hand. Next up, it was time to get her badge. _"I thought I was early enough to beat some of the crowd…"_ she thought as she joined a line. _"…but I probably shouldn't have been surprised."_ The room was packed with a diverse crowd of human and faunus, this might have been the only time Weiss had ever been in a space where humans were in the minority. She sipped at her coffee, taking in all the cosplays around her. _"Wow some of these people put way more effort into their cosplays…look at that mecha!"_ There were quite a few stares directed her way as well.

She began to relax more as it seemed clear that she wasn't recognizable as the daughter of a faunus murderer. No raised voices of outrage or hostile looks. The monkey faunus that sat behind the booth beckoned Weiss forward when she reached the front. "Name?" he asked, his tail swishing behind him. "Lily White." He smiled up at her, tapping the name into his large scroll. "Useless Lesbean?"

She blushed and spoke over his snickering, "Yes, that's me." A cheap plastic bag, badge, and lanyard were pushed into her hands. "Stop by the peace-bonding table for that wand. Have a good time!"

She nodded, turning away from the beaming faunus. The badge showed her online name in large block text, with "Lily White" written below it. _"Perhaps I should have picked a different name to have on the badge."_ Tying to will the flush to recede from her face, she slipped the lanyard over her head and weaved her way through the crowd. Peace-bonding was quick – a brief inspection and a pass through a dust detector. _"That's a good idea…maybe I should turn this wand into a mini Myrtenaster!"_

She turned to leave the table, imagining herself raining fire from her wand down upon her insufferable corporate enemies _("I'd call it Shiny Inferno!")_ , but was blocked by a towering, brown skinned man. "Excuse me," he spoke slowly. "My friend would like to take a picture of you, if you are willing." A pair of brown bunny ears poked out from behind the man, as a faunus girl sidled into view, smiling expectantly. Weiss looked apprehensively at the strange camera in her hands. The ears began to droop slowly as Weiss made no answer, standing frozen with her mouth wordlessly opening and closing.

"It's okay if you don't want to," the girl offered, smiling gently at her.

"N-no it's okay, you may take a picture." The cosplay was good enough, surely no one could recognize the SDC heiress or expect her presence at an event celebrating faunus culture. Weiss planted her feet shoulder width apart with her hands on her hips and gave the camera a stern look. A blinding flash later, the rabbit faunus was hopping happily. "That was perfect! I know exactly which scene you were thinking – from the OVA right? I should have had Yatsu looming behind you!" She offered Weiss a business card. "You can find the photos on that website after con. Email me if you'd like to do a photoshoot sometime. Thanks!" With that, the duo disappeared down the hall.

Dazed, Weiss looked down at the card. _"Velvet Scarlatina…"_ Her eyes widened. _"I know this name! I've reblogged her photography before. She has a wonderful eye for girls…"_ Despite constantly meeting high class celebrities in her role as heiress, somehow this moment topped even meeting her childhood hero Pyrrha Nikos. _"Although, it might just be that father's presence poisons everything."_

Her scroll buzzed at her side, bringing her back to Remnant. The RemCon app was perfect for obsessive planners like Weiss – allowing her to decide in advance exactly what she was going to do and when. First up, idol voice actress panel! The lines for popular events were often long and were formed well before the event occurred. Weiss joined the end of the short queue in front of the Beowolf Theatre. With a little under an hour to kill, there was time to play a few games on her scroll.

She opened the FaunVerse app to check her StreetPasses. Previously, Weiss kept the StreetPass feature of FaunVerse deactivated, for fear of being discovered. Visiting dignitaries often brought faunus servants with them, just imagine them receiving a StreetPass in the Schnee Estate. She couldn't help but smile to see a huge line of little faunus avatars marching into her FaunVerse plaza. Weiss had once asked gaynightshade why there wasn't a human option in FaunVerse – she cringed a little remembering the blistering lecture she received about humans not forcing their way into faunus spaces. The company that created the FaunVerse app, the only social networking app that allowed faunus identification at all, was a fairly small and underfunded group of faunus – adding human features to the mix wasn't on their priority list. At any rate, Blake suggested that she simply pick a faunus trait that wasn't very obvious. However, Weiss simply couldn't help herself – her little avatar's snow fox ears and tail were simply too adorable to pass up. _"How could I resist such floof!?"_

The VA panel was as every bit amazing as Weiss imagined. Without even thinking about it, Weiss was letting loose! She squealed "NICO NICO NIIIIII~" along with the rest of the panel audience. The Q&A portion of the panel lasted for an hour, ranging from favorite ships to best waifus. There was quite a bit of time left after the line for questions died down; so a spontaneous group karaoke session began. In retrospect, Weiss may have let herself get a little _too_ into singing but this was a rare opportunity for her. Fortunately, this was a convention for nerds – she wasn't the only one with penlights.

It was then time for a game tournament. Those nights Weiss spent stumbling around her DDR mat paid off; she won a few rounds before getting knocked out of the tournament. She could only stare in awe as the finalists feet flashed across the arrows. _"Oh my dust, how is that possible!? Are they using a semblance of some kind?"_ The dog faunus that emerged victorious must have been in his early teens, much to Weiss' surprise. She clapped loudly for him as he received his prize bag of goodies.

With a few hours of free time before the next event, there was time to tour a few other areas of the convention. The Artist's Alley and Dealer's Hall were packed, so she quickly moved through the rows mentally marking the stalls to visit later. She certainly did not take a few passes by the 21+ section, an innocent girl like Weiss Schnee would never! _"But Lily White on the other hand….I-I'll come back later once I've found the courage…"_

The last point of interest was the gaming rooms, the largest of which was the console gaming room. A few steps into the room, Weiss stumbled backwards as a wave of heat hit her. Her senses were assaulted by the smell of sweaty bodies. She covered her nose and mouth with her hands, trying to stave off the stench that hung heavy over the room. The smell was so overpowering, Weiss stood still for a few moments swaying precariously. _"I..can barely think…too…much…gross."_

She scurried blindly from the room as quickly a she could – she couldn't stand the smell for another second. The first breath of fresh air filled her lungs, _"Oh thank dust, that's so much better what the heck do people not know what deodorant is-,"_ the thought cut short as she collided with a black and lilac mass. "oomph!" she squeaked, as she toppled onto the obstruction, flopping down face first.

In contrast to the disgusting room, she was surrounded by a lovely scent. _"Mmmmh this smells soo nice,"_ she thought inhaling deeply. _"Soft, too~"_ She started to free her arms, which were pinned below her. She noted the firmness of the abs her hands passed over. _"Wait…abs?"_

"Um, do you mind getting off me?"

Weiss shot up to her feet, eyes wide with horror. "OH MY GOSH I'M SO SORRY I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO THAT," panicked words tumbling out of her mouth. It turned out that the collision was with a tall cat faunus, whose abs she had just been feeling – and her face must have been…. _"Oh dust no.."_

It was difficult for Weiss to finally fight past her cringing to look up at the faunus' face as she continued to sputter. "I'm sor-," Weiss froze immediately as a jolt of recognition passed through her. _"I know this beautiful girl…those ears…her luscious jet-black mane…"_

The girl had returned to her feet, dusting herself off. Her bemused grin faded slightly, looking down at a comically frozen Weiss. "Are you okay…?"

"B-blake…!" Weiss finally managed to sputter. Weiss' brain fell blank and breathing came shallow and fast.

"Oh! Do I know you?" Blake asked, ears slowly bobbing as she tried to figure out this strange girl that blundered into her – it was quite unusual for Blake to not recall meeting a person…especially when it came to pretty girls.

The awkward silence dragged on while Weiss tried to restart her brain. Blake opened her mouth to speak, but Weiss took off down the hall at top speed, crashing through the crowd. Stunned, the faunus cocked her head to the side, watching the purple-clad girl disappear through a door. _"This will make a great story to tell Lily,"_ she thought amusedly. _"Hmm…Lily…"_

"How come you don't let _me_ touch your tiddies, Blakey!?"

"Shush Yang."

* * *

Weiss finally stopped fleeing to hide in the AMV theatre. The lights in the room were always kept off and the music was loud. _"Although,"_ she thought belatedly, _"Blake's could probably see me easily in here. Faunus night-vision must be nice to have…"_ She sat in the last row to catch her breath. _"Okay, I know I said I was going to talk to her if we met, but…there couldn't possibly be a worse introduction than that. Wait…how am I ever going to introduce myself to her after this?"_

* * *

"So...do you know who that was?"

"I have an idea but I don't know just yet. Hopefully we can find her again, I'll keep a lookout for her scent. She certainly gave me enough opportunity to learn it."

"Ooh Blakey are you going to ask her out? We can swing by the hentai section to grab you some bondage supplies!"

She blushed slightly, face-palming in response.

"Well you better decide quickly before I snatch her up! No girl can reject a PUN-sexual like me!"

"Yang…please no. Your horrible puns are going to give me a headache. Ruby can you control your sister please? You two said you were going to be on your best behavior." Blake cleared her throat slightly. _"But…maybe I will go buy some…supplies…"_


	3. Suddenly More Ships

After half an hour to settle herself, Weiss poked her nose out of the AMV Theatre. The coast was clear, so it was time to resume the day. She sighed deeply, thinking about the earlier exchange with her long-time internet pal. Years of chatting with gaynightshade did not prepare her for that exchange. _"She is way taller than I thought she would be...the (one-sided) video chats didn't do her justice."_ A faint blush began to grow upon her cheeks again. _"No…Weiss….no crush…no…this can't happen…she smelled so lovely…and she's buff…"_ Years of knowing Blake, being coached out of bigotry, and learning more about her favorite art form quickly cemented Blake as her closest friend. _"And yet somehow I'm terrified of meeting her. Meeting a girl who loves books, calm and collected, elegant, smart, with a strong sense of justice, and courage despite her fears. Because of my name. My father."_

A few more heavy sighs later, she exited the room and started down the hall. The incident and subsequent angsty lesbian thoughts had thrown her schedule off, _"I was looking forward to 'Where Fanfic Goes to Die: New Hotness'…but it's already over."_ Without any interesting events occurring at the moment, Weiss simply decided to visit the courtyard to snap a few photos of the cosplayers there. There were cosplay photoshoot meetups throughout the day for many different fandoms.

The cloudless sky outside was lovely and the cool breeze threatened to steal Weiss' witches hat. She had intended on simply walking around and watching a few of the photoshoots, but it wasn't long before a crowd of people gathered to get a look at her. The heat rising in her cheeks was sure to be visible, but it only seemed to get her more attention. She decided to throw caution to the wind and allow people to photograph her. It was nice to have people appreciating her cosplay, especially since it was her first time doing it! _"No one has recognized me yet, I should be fine. …right? I'm taking this risk already, have fun you dolt!"_

* * *

Blake roamed the halls with Ruby and Yang in tow. She was a convention veteran, attending since she was 16. As an intense faunus rights activist, Blake involved herself in all aspects of faunus culture – anime included, not to mention a few radical activist groups. The strange girl that collided with her earlier had piqued her interest; she really wanted to see her again. Her mind insisted on drifting back to the petite girl…her silky hair…her sharp feminine beauty and flawless skin. _"The cosplay really suited her too…formal and tsundere…"_ She had her suspicions about the girl's identity – if it was actually who she thought it was, then this would be a wonderful opportunity. And so, she decided to take a quick journey through the entire convention space – get a quick glimpse of all this year's convention had to offer and perhaps stumble upon the girl again. Trying to court a human would be a first for her, but that wouldn't be a problem at all…right? _"Lily and I are really close too…I know she's against online relationships, but if it is her I can't let this opportunity go."_

There was no sign of the girl so the trio - Blake, Ruby, and Yang, hit up the Exhibit Hall to get a start on their merch purchases. Yang found a few posters of her favorite blonde Amestrian major general. Ruby found a gunblade prop from her favorite video game. Blake returned with a stack of the latest yuri light novels and doujin, her left ear twitching uncontrollably.

Yang eyed Blake's purchases with a grin. "Nobody enter Blake's room for the next 3 months without knocking."

Blake scowled at Yang. "Why did I agree to live with you two…"

"Because you love us!" Yang tackle-hugged the grumpy kitty faunus. Blake grumbled vaguely from behind Yang's arm as she browsed the RemCon app. "Hey, do you guys want to go the masquerade ball tonight? I brought a nice outfit for it and the mask-making workshop is in 10 minutes."

"Heck yeah! I love dances!"

"…Fineee. Dances are so boring though…"

Blake smiled apologetically at Ruby. "I'll see if Coco will be there – you can chat with her about weapons. It's one of the big events of the weekend and we shouldn't miss it."

Perking up slightly, Ruby smiled. "Does she go to the masquerade ball? I had a few ideas for cosplay props that I think she will like. It's really too bad that the peacebonding rules are so strict…"

"I'm sure she will be there. Velv wouldn't pass up this opportunity to take a few pictures and Coco loves fashion. Actually, she went a little overboard last year. I think they added a few new rules this year because of her."

The trio had completed their masquerade ball masks before long. Blake fashioned a dark violet and lace-lined mask with whiskers. Ruby's was red and featured rose petals, of course. Yang chose to go with a bright yellow and orange flame theme.

"We should drop these off in the hotel room," Blake suggested. The sisters nodded in assent and they worked their way out of the convention center. As they exited into the courtyard, the scent of nearby food shops hit their nose.

"Blakeeee I'm hungry...Can we get some lunch after we dump these things in the room?"

"Sure thing Ruby. What shall we get?"

The Black, Red, and Yellow group walked through the courtyard to get some food at a nearby faunus-run shop. Little did they know, 50 meters downwind, a certain girl was surrounded by a crowd of photographers.

Weiss lost track of how long she spent trapped in a crowd of camera flashes. Panic started to set in slightly – despite trying to reassure herself, she couldn't shake the feeling that this many shots of her were sure to expose her image to someone that might recognize her. _"I think I've had enough of this for now. So…how do I gracefully exit this scene...?"_

She looked down at the broom that someone had produced for her to pose with and got an idea. She whispered to the owner "I'll leave this for you at the info desk." Stepping back, she mounted the broom and made sure her hat was securely seated upon her head. Thrusting her wand into the air, she cried "Tia Freyre!" With the help of a pair of repulsion glyphs barely larger than her feet, she launched herself into the air. She continued to form the glyphs, keeping them as small and tight, to keep herself soaring through the sky.

Below, Blake barely noticed as a bizarrely human shaped shadow pass over her and her roommates.

A few moments later, Weiss crashed heavily on a convention center balcony. _"Well, that was different. Good to know I can do that."_ Skydiving with glyphs was one thing, but repeated repulsion glyphs to throw herself on a specific trajectory was difficult. _"Hopefully no one noticed the glyphs. The Schnee Crest is rather recognizable…"_ She remained in a heap to catch her breath.

* * *

Blake was the last to settle down at the small table in a nearby food shop, Sunstone. As she set her beef udon down, the two sisters were having a heated argument.

"I mean are you _sure_? I could set you up with someone, you know. Like Penny! Or Pyrrha! Both would love to go on a date with you. I think Pyrrha finally gave up on that silly boy. She definitely deserves better."

"Yang, for the last time can't you respect me when I say that I'm asexual!? I just want to eat my cookies and build weapons! I'm fine with dating them but please stop taking about sex. I'm going to throw up ugh…." She hung her head over her plate of okonomiyaki.

"But you haven't even been in a relationship yet! I've been planning embarrassing things to say to you since you were born!"

Ruby dropped her head to the table with a heavy _Thunk!_ Yang glanced at Blake, looking slightly apologetic when she noticed the stern expression and pinned back ears.

"Sorry Ruby…I'll try to be more understanding. I guess I just don't really get it."

"You're pan and I know you….like doing it…I'm the opposite….or something."

Blake decided to move the conversation off of the topic. "So Yang. When are we going to meet _your_ girlfriend?"

"I told you! She's not ready to meet anyone…She's a very private person. But you can trust me that she is smokin' hot!" Her grin grew wider before she added, "She's got a great butt. Better than the Bellabooty!"

It was Blake's turn to bang her head against the table. "Why am I friends with you."

Yang continued on blithely, "She's got a rocking body, her job keeps her fit! You gotta love a girl that can kick your ass."

"You know what…forget I asked."

"I actually told her that I'd be out here for the convention – she said she might meet up with me at some point. I'll ask if she'd be willing to have dinner with us. It'd be great if she would just meet you guys so she doesn't have to sneak into our apartment…"

"Did she say why she doesn't want to meet us?" Yang hadn't even told either of her roomies about her girlfriend, until Blake's sharp nose caught on.

"She hasn't really said too much about it, but it seemed like she was more worried about you than Ruby."

"Me? What about me would she be worried about? _"…does she have a problem with faunus?"_

"No idea." Yang shrugged, ignoring the obvious unasked question. "At any rate, I think I can convince her to meet us for dinner, so keep your Saturday night free." A silence fell over the table, as Yang returned to her curry rice.

"There isn't much going on tomorrow night so we should be okay. Is she going to stick around for the convention?"

"No," she said, thinking between bites. "She seems to enjoy the anime that we have watched together, but she doesn't think that she will be accepted here." Yang shifted uncomfortably under Blake's gaze. She studied Yang for a few moments, before Ruby spoke up.

"Hey Blake, did you end up seeing the Ghost in the Shell movie?"

Blake flinched and scowled at the mention of the movie. "No, and on principle, I refuse to watch it. I'm tired of people removing faunus from their own media. Can you even think of a movie with a faunus woman as the protagonist? As the main character? All we get to see faunus women as are backup characters to human men, the villains foiled by human men, or as the 'exotic' love interest for human men."

"Oh…well, I mean, maybe they needed to have a really popular actress to ensure the movie would succeed…?"

"As if a show as popular and prolific as Ghost in the Shell would need a popular actress to draw attention. How are we ever going to have any experienced faunus actresses if we never give them a chance? Especially in faunus stories!" Blake continued to rant, "I'm also tired of hearing people trot out the excuse that since faunus that live in Menagerie are okay with seeing humans replace faunus roles, then it should be fine here in Vale. Right, because faunus who don't live with humans, clearly would have the same relationship with humans, as faunus that do live with humans. Faunus that actually have to face discrimination and the realities of living in a human dominated country should be ignored on this issue in favor of faunus who don't. Plus, people only care about Menagerian faunus' opinion when it helps their idiotic narrative. We all know which faunus actress should have had that role."

Blake closed her eyes and took a few deep, calming breaths. "Sorry Ruby, I didn't mean to go off on you like that." Blake had a lot to say on this matter, both Yang and Ruby knew all too well.

"Ah…it's ok! No worries! I think I understand a bit better now." Ruby cleared her throat before continuing. "So, what are your plans for the rest of the day, until the ball?"

"I've got a fighting game tournament later today. I'm going to practice a bit after we're done eating." Yang had really taken to the competitive gaming scene in the past year, improving enough to make it out of pools.

"I'm presenting on a panel about faunus culture in an hour." It was the first time that Blake managed to get onto a panel like this, but the Chieftain of Menagerie's daughter was sure to do well on this panel. She had previously been avoiding the spotlight due to her past with the White Fang, but it had been years since she was an active member. The group had only become more radicalized since she had left.

Ruby chimed in, "I'll be at a cosplay weapons workshop!" She swung the gunblade prop she bought earlier around, already thinking of ways to improve it.

After the group finished eating, the ladybug pair departed for their panels and Yang separated to relax in the hotel room. There was still a little time to practice, so she dropped her purchases into her suitcase and plopped herself down in front of the TV.

As she powered up the gaming system and picked up her trusty controller, her scroll rang. Recognizing the personalized ringtone, she quickly retrieved the device and answered the call. The video feed flickered on, revealing a woman, whose normally frosty appearance was warmed by a slight smile.

"Ahem….Well hello…hot stuff." The woman blushed as Yang giggled.

"Hey Winter!"

* * *

Weiss stepped back from the info desk, leaving the borrowed broom with the staff. She had barely made it a few steps down through the crowd before running straight into a shirtless chest.

"Oh hey! 'Useless Lesbean' right?" The blonde monkey faunus from registration beamed down at the scowling girl. "My name is Sun."

 _"I really need to start watching where I'm walking. I don't want collisions to become a habit…"_ She sighed slightly before holding her hand out. "I think I would prefer 'Lily'. It's nice to meet you, Sun."

As they shook hands, Sun leaned in slightly, sniffing curiously. Weiss prevented herself from recoiling in disgust – from what she understood, this was not an unusual thing for faunus. She often wondered exactly how much better their sense of sight, hearing, and smell were, compared to humans. _"It's bizarre that anyone looks down on them, they're the same as humans in every way plus enhanced senses. Really, it's hard not to feel inferior..."_

Sun released her hand and stepped back. "Hey, do you know Blake?" Weiss' eyes widened. "You must be a close friend, it smells like you've been hugging her or something!" Her mind raced as the smiling monkey faunus looked at her expectantly.

She laughed nervously, "Blake? I…I don't know any Blakes. Maybe it is someone who smells similar." Sun frowned momentarily before deciding to let the matter go – but the smell that was all over Weiss was certainly that of Blake Belladonna. "Well, it's awesome to meet you, Lily! Are you here at the convention alone? You seem around the age of me and my friends, if you wanted to join our group!"

"Oh…I..I don't know." _"Blake is probably in this 'group' that Sun is talking about. This must be fate – of all the thousands of people here at convention…"_ "I suppose it would be fun to get to know you and your friends, Sun."

"Cool! We can exchange scroll numbers! Right now, everyone is doing their own thing, but we will be attending the masquerade ball tonight. Would you like to join us?"

"I….suppose I could. I don't have a mask or anything, though." The mask making session had been over for an hour already. "If I remember the rules, I need to have one to enter."

"You can buy one in the dealer hall - Crosshares Anime Shop has a booth selling masks. Follow me!" Sun turned around and led Weiss to the dealer hall. Rather reluctantly, Weiss trailed a few steps behind the flicking tail of the monkey faunus until they arrived at a booth packed with merchandise.

"Hey Velvet! I have a friend here who needs a mask for the masquerade ball tonight!" He grabbed Weiss by the shoulders and pushed her forward toward the familiar brown haired girl.

"Oh! Hello, we met earlier! What is your name?" The rabbit faunus stopped looking through the pictures on her camera to shake Weiss' hand.

"Lily…White."

She took Weiss by the arm and showed her a rack of masks. "What kind of mask would you like? Perhaps this is against my nature, but you would look wonderful in a snow fox mask!" She giggled softly, pulling down a cute mask with a pair of fuzzy white ears perched on top.

Weiss looked at the mask, hesitating. "Is…is it ok for me to have something with ears? I'm not…doing something culturally insensitive by wearing something like this?"

Velvet smiled slightly at her. "Well…It can be an insensitive thing, depending on how you're looking at it." She slowly walked around Weiss, putting the mask on her. "When you wear this mask, are you doing it to be like a faunus? Are you trying on life as a faunus to take advantage of it, only to be able to cast it off later? Or perhaps you simply want to have fox ears?" She laughed and leaned down to bat Weiss in the face with a soft bunny ear. "If faunus people didn't exist, or you weren't even aware of our existence, would you want animal features?"

Weiss glanced to the side blushing. "Since I was little, I wanted to have ears and a tail. I didn't even know about faunus people at the time." _"Not to mention the petplay fetish…"_

"Do you glamorize wearing cat ears to be cute while vilifying and persecuting faunus people, especially if they have animal characteristics that aren't as cute? Do you think wearing wolf ears as a human is okay, while you support rules that push faunus who have wolf ears out of society?"

This set of questions caused Weiss to pause. She knew of many such rules that made life as a faunus difficult. The Schnee Dust Company made use of a number of such rules to continue their bigotry outside of Atlas. Grooming rules about visible body hair length, ruling out any faunus with visible fur. Non-hair keratin structure rules barring faunus with claws, horns, or hooves. The SDC could reject any faunus applicant based on these rules, without drawing the attention of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. These rules were on Weiss' list of wrongs to right, but she hadn't done anything about them yet. "I neither vilify nor persecute faunus. I want faunus people to live amongst humans with ease. Those rules are horrific; a facile disguise for racism."

"Then there you have it! I officially deem you 'not racist'!" Velvet laughed and clapped softly. "You can have that mask for free. The pictures I took of you are wonderful, I know I'm going to make a lot of money with them. I hope you'll grace me with another photo opportunity soon. We can set up a contract so I can pay you!"

"Thank you Velvet…" She removed the mask from her face to find Velvet brushing her nose with a furry ear.

"Also take this extra pair of fox ears. They're high quality; you'll look absolutely adorable in them."

* * *

Blake entered the ballroom, slightly adjusting the lapels of her suit. Yang was in bright yellow deep V-neck dress and her little sister in her typical black blouse and "combat skirt" combination.

"Wow you're looking sharp Blake," a voice purred beside her. "No one looks better in a suit than you do."

"Thanks, Coco. You're looking amazing as usual. I hope you followed the outfit price rules they added because of you." Coco smirked slightly, but chose not to answer. Instead, she turned to Yang.

"Yang if you're going to ogle, you really need to get a pair of sunglasses like me." She tapped her ever-present shades for emphasis. She slid them down her nose to examine Yang with a grin. "That is a wonderful dress. You really know how to accentuate your assets."

"You know it." She flicked her cascade of curls over her shoulder and posed with a hand on her hip. Her face was suddenly lit up by a blinding flash of light, announcing the arrival of Velvet. Coco slid her hand around the faunus' waist, dodging around the bunny ears to accommodate a quick nuzzle.

Ruby hid behind her older sister while pretending to gag. Yang rolled her eyes, "Ruby you're going to have to grow up someday."

"So does this guy." The group turned toward the new arrivals. Neptune was dragging his boyfriend along by the collar of his shirt. "I'm scared that Sun will never grow up." Sun swatted Neptune's hand way, laughing. "I didn't do anything! Also, look, I'm wearing a shirt like you asked!" "Ugh whatever, Sun. Just know that I never want to play the 'penis game' with you…or anyone."

Neptune started chatting with Coco and Velvet, while Sun pulled Blake off to the side. "Hey Blake, do you know someone named Lily White?"

"Yes, she is a friend of mine. Met her through Remblr as mutuals. Why?"

"I ran into her a couple times today. I noticed that she had your scent on her, but she said she didn't know you."

 _"I knew it was her."_ "We…ran into her earlier too, I'm not sure why she would deny that she knows me…I had a hunch it was Lily. She is usually so desperate for us to talk to her about the convention – for her to tell me she didn't need it this year could only mean one thing."

"Well I convinced her to come to the ball tonight! So keep an eye out for her – we can figure out what's going on here."

Blake's eyes widened as she nodded in thanks. _"Perfect. Time to take a quick survey of the room."_ Blake stepped back and melted into the shadows, slipping off.

* * *

On the other side of the room, Weiss made her entrance. _"Okay Weiss. Keep it together. Everything will be okay, let's just find Sun. And finally meet her."_ She took a few steadying breaths and adjusted her mask. She had changed into a pure-white ball gown and let her hair down after cleaning out the dye. The mask and still concealed scar would be a good enough disguise for this event. She began searching the room for blond hair and a monkey tail.

The corner of the room provided a good vantage point of the ballroom. The floor was filled with couples waltzing to the music. Weiss stood in the empty corner of the room, squinting to search the dim room.

"Excuse me."

Weiss jumped a meter into the air with a strangled yelp, startled by the sudden presence behind her. She whipped around and stumbled away from the tall figure that stepped from the shadows – a cat faunus in a fitted suit, ears perked at full attention, a tail swaying behind her to the music, and a pair of amber eyes shining through her mask.

Weiss' mind was racing. _"The pictures and video really, really, REALLY didn't do her justice. Oh my god she's so hot. There's no way she can be this fucking hot and it can be normal. Look at her black hair and the way her outfit hugs her hips. God I wish that my hands were in her pants."_

"Holy gay I am shit." Weiss clapped her hands over her mouth. _"DID I JUST SAY THAT OUT LOUD OH GOD."_

Blake giggled ever so slightly, before holding her hand out. "Would you care for a dance, Miss?" It was easy to find Weiss the second she entered the room, her scent unmistakable. Despite her short height, she carried herself as though she were as tall as Blake, and her hair, dress, and eyes stood out in the crowd, gleaming in the low light.

At a loss for words, a blushing Weiss simply nodded, placing her hand in Blake's. The two found a nice spot at the edge of the dance floor, beginning to waltz together. Neither spoke for a long while, simply dancing and enjoying each other's company. "Do you mind?" Blake whispered, as she curled her tail loosely around Weiss' waist. Weiss smiled and shook her head. The black and fuzzy tail was surprisingly strong, guiding Weiss' body through the steps of the unfamiliar Menagerian waltz.

It was time for Weiss to come clean. _"Well…not entirely clean…"_ "So…I take it you figured out who I am." She only received a nod in response. "I'm sorry about earlier, I wasn't looking where I was going…" _"And sorry for feeling you up."_ "I wasn't sure if I was ready to meet you….and was hoping I could surprise you."

"Well I definitely was surprised – never had a first meeting quite like that one. I'm so happy to finally meet you." Blake smiled down at Weiss. "What do you mean 'ready to meet' me?"

"Oh, well um." The truth about her real identity would likely be too much for this first meeting. Would Blake accept Weiss if she knew who she was? "I-I just haven't met anyone from the internet before…"

Blake grimaced. "That makes sense. I was nervous the first time I met someone I knew online." _"I'm surprised I ever met another person after Adam."_

The song came to an end, so the black and white pair separated. "So…would you like to meet the others? Sun told me you would be joining our group."

"Sure, let's do it."


	4. Budding Consciousness?

Weiss trailed a few steps behind Blake as she led her though the crowd. _"Keep it together Weiss. I can tell her tomorrow."_ She was caught up in her thoughts, entranced by the fragrance that followed Blake. Again, Weiss' thoughts were cut short as she walked straight into Blake's back, not noticing that she had stopped walking.

Blake spun around and caught a dazed Weiss before she could fall. Laughing slightly, she moved Weiss in front of her. "Everyone, meet Lily." The group of eclectic humans and faunus turned to the new arrival. Coco was the first to make a move, stepping forward to shake Weiss' hand.

"Wow, it's nice to meet you. Velv showed me the photos she took of you. You look even more stunning in person." Coco turned to look back at her lover, "Velv you really did pick a great mask for her." Weiss nodded and laughed awkwardly. Coco slowly circled Weiss, studying her up and down. "Your hair is beautiful too. Pure white hair like this is incredibly rare," she murmured, stroking her hands through the ends of Weiss' freed locks.

Coco was knocked out of the way by the busty blonde, "Hi I'm Yang! It's great to finally meet you!" Yang threw her arms around Weiss, ignoring her outstretched hand.

Weiss squawked indignantly, "Ugh get off me you brute!" She struggled to throw Yang off her, as the beautiful blonde squeezed hard enough to pop Weiss' spine into alignment.

Weiss' shriek of pain and relief was instantly muffled by being snatched up by a red blur. "Hi Lily! I'm Ruby!" The red-themed girl kept her hug short, offering Weiss a cookie from a little baggie she had hidden in her bra.

Weiss sighed and rubbed her back. "You two are exactly as I figured you'd be." Ruby smiled apologetically, watching Weiss crinkling her nose at the chocolate chip cookie. "Not that it's necessarily a bad thing…" Weiss muttered, nibbling at the sweet.

Lastly, Sun stepped up, pushing his boyfriend forward with a smack across the ass. "And this guy is Neptune! I don't think you know him at all though. I'm glad you came!" Neptune turned beet red and kept his face down, shaking hands with Weiss without exchanging a word.

With introductions out of the way, the group returned to chatting and dancing. Weiss stood off to the side, watching the various pairings dance – Coco and Velvet grinding against each other; Sun apologetically nuzzling with Neptune; and Blake stepping through a complicated Menagerian dance with Yang. Ruby returned to her side, handing her a drink.

"I can't believe you're here, Lily! We will make this the best convention EVERRRR!" She threw her hands over her head and waved them for emphasis – impossibly not spilling a drop from her glass.

"I was so nervous about meeting you all, and yet you all are exactly who I thought you were. We mesh great despite our disparate personalities and ridiculous internet hijinks. I'm looking forward to hanging with you all tomorrow… I mean not like I'm _really_ looking forward to it, just because you guys really want to. It's not like I want to hang out with you people."

"White Rose forever!" Ruby cried, double high-fiving a blushing Weiss. "I'll sign us up for the RTS doubles tournament tomorrow – we'll be champions for sure, partner!"

* * *

The group exited the convention hall, chatting excitedly. Coco stepped out in front of the others. "The night is still young everyone – we should check out some of the parties at the clubs nearby." The group separated into two: Coco, Yang, Velvet, and Sun – Blake, Ruby, Weiss, and Neptune.

Weiss watched the sauced up quartet stumble off toward the nearest club, whooping and hollering. Blake tapped her shoulder, reminding her that the rest were going to return to their respective hotels.

Neptune grimaced, "Sun spilled a drink on me so I'm going to go run ahead, I rented this suit and it's going to cost me."

"Oh! This is something I can help with – my semblance is speed remember?" Ruby picked up a grumpy Neptune and sped off toward their shared hotel room.

"So you, Yang, Ruby, Sun, and Neptune all are in the same room? A room with two beds?" Weiss and Blake walked along the dim but noisy streets. "How exactly does that work…?"

"Well enough I suppose…" Blake looked up into the starry sky. "I usually let the sisters take one bed and the lover-boys have the other."

Weiss whipped her head around to look at Blake. "Where do you sleep then? They don't make you sleep on the floor, do they?"

Blake laughed, slowing her saunter to a stop. "No…I am a cat faunus, as you know – I enjoy curling up on the couch." Blake flicked her tail around to rub Weiss' arm and slowly flexed her ears around.

"You know I can never tell if you're joking about these things or not, Blake," Weiss pouted.

Blake's lengthy laugh bared her fangs. "Sorry Lily, you know I like to joke around with you. It has nothing to do with me being a faunus – I just like small cozy spots, little cuddly places." Blake pulled Weiss off to the side of the walkway – into a dim corner. Many pathways crossed around the complicated convention center and, in the low light, were occasionally couples in their own private moments. Blake watched a fursuit bobbing up and down in a shadow up ahead, grinning. "I like to steal the comforter from Yang and Ruby's bed; Yang is like a space heater."

Weiss' heart was raging and palms were drenched in sweat. Blake casually leaned against the wall, pinning Weiss into the corner. Continuing on blithely, "So what did you think of your first day of RemCon? I hope it's everything you hoped it would be."

 _"Oh my god she is a giant, my head is boob-level. Which would be perfect for- NO WEISS. NO NO NO. She's so cute and pretty and smart and I can feel the heat off of her body from here – oh shit I haven't said anything yet, say something dolt!"_ Despite trying, Weiss let her mouth fall open and laughed awkwardly, followed by, "hhgnhdfd yeh sssssss yes. Yes! Blake. The convention has been great so far!"

"I'm so glad to hear that, I hope tomorrow will be even better. Well, my hotel is that way," said Blake, nodding her head down one path. "I thought it might have been you when we ran into each other earlier, so I bought you something!" She gently placed a bag into a stammering Weiss' hand, before sweeping off. Waving over her shoulder, "Text me in the morning so we can meet up!"

The embrace of Blake's warmth and scent slowly dissipated, being replaced by the cool night air. After a few moments, she looked down into the bag at the book within – a yuri light novel about a romance between a faunus girl and a human girl.


	5. The Flow of Fate

The door to the hotel room barely snapped closed before Blake sank to the floor and let out a deep breath. The room was darkened and quiet, muffled noises came from the bathroom where Ruby and Neptune fought to save his suit. _"I hope I didn't cross any boundaries with Lily."_ Blake rarely let anyone touch her faunus parts, but she had known Lily for many years and couldn't help but naturally let her tail embrace her friend. _"Her skin was unbelievably silky too…"_ Blake let herself get caught up in her flustered thoughts until she finally curled up on the couch and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Weiss walked through the hotel lobby, floating on a high. _"Hhhhhhhghh Blake….I think I've lost this fight, damn the consequences. I have an idea."_ Despite the activity of the convention, there was no line for the front desk. The same red haired bull faunus from before was working the desk, somehow looking more grumpy than last time. It took a little while for him to fulfill her request, but she eventually returned to her room with an extra cardkey. Another bubble bath was in order, this time with a few packs of melon pan. She took half an hour to soak in the warm water, willing herself to remain calm. On a whim, she arranged the pillows and blankets into a little nest and instantly fell asleep, hugging a pillow.

* * *

It was harder for Weiss to wake early on the second day of convention. All the walking around and gay angst left her exhausted. Today's cosplay would be a fairly easy one for her – scar hidden, she left her hair down and dyed purple, wearing a simple schoolgirl outfit. Two venti coffees later, Weiss was finally ready for the day.

Being a Saturday, Day 2 of RemCon always drew a much larger crowd than the first day. The scalpers were out in full force and the sidewalks were choked. Weiss waited for the others at the corner of the convention center, starting in on her third cup of coffee and a box of strawberry Pocky. _"It's in times like these I wish I was taller. There's no way they can see me and I'm going to get elbowed in the face…"_ The eclectic mob of people raged around her, giving her glimpses of an assortment of cosplays – some she recognized and many she didn't.

"Wow that cosplay looks great on you, Lily." Blake emerged from the mass of bodies with Yang and Ruby in tow. Apparently, Weiss' scent was quite easy for Blake to find, even in the crowd. Her tail was wrapped tight around her waist and her ears were pinned back against her head – crowds were difficult for faunus with tails.

"Interesting how you cosplay such tsundere characters…" Yang grinned down at Lily, giggling and nudging her with an elbow.

"Simply a coincidence, I assure you," said Weiss frostily, turning away from the beaming blonde.

Yang threw her arm around Weiss' shoulders to keep her from walking away. "Too bad she's not gay though, she is with that vampire guy. Whatever his name is."

"I don't care about him, I ship her with Black Hanekawa." Weiss sniffed disdainfully. "Why do all the girls have to like the shlubby guy? Screw him. Kanbaru would be a better choice too."

"With the catgirl huh…." Yang gave Weiss a sly look out of the corner of her eye. The heiress opened her mouth to retort but Yang released her and clapped her hands. "So! This morning is gaming tournament time! Team Bumbleby and Team White Rose, ファイト! 頑張って, Ruby and Lily!" Yang pushed Weiss into Ruby's waiting arms and linked arms with Blake.

"Let's go partner!" Ruby chirped.

"Remember everyone, we're meeting for lunch at 11!" Yang and Blake ran off into the crowd, leaving Ruby to lead Weiss off to the PC gaming room. Weiss was fairly new to RTS games but Ruby persuaded her to team up for the 2v2 tournament. Despite Ruby's confidence the night before, an event as large as RemCon attracted professional gamers – the duo would be lucky to make it out of pools.

The PC tournament room was packed with tournament competitors, carrying personal keyboards and talking strategy with their partners. Rows of high tech scrolls were prepared for the convention, allowing for multiple matches to take place at once. As promised, Ruby had signed up for the tournament under their partnership name, White Rose.

It was a bit of a wait until the beleaguered volunteer called them over for their first match, against a pair of faunus boys – Corsac and Fennec.

* * *

"I'm sorry Lily! I don't know what happened…I didn't mean to nuke your base." Ruby looked down at her feet and fussed with her sleeves.

"You dolt! How could you do that to my poor probes? My poor, cute, innocent probes…" Weiss paused to take in her teammate's sorrowful expression. "It's okay Ruby….I should have been paying attention to what I was doing. I had already cost us the match by the time that happened. Thanks for playing with me even though I'm new to all of this."

"They went with a cheese build, we weren't really expecting someone to do that at a tournament like this…I hope you had fun though!"

"Those rude boys…they should be disqualified for BM….We'll practice together and do better next year." Ruby cheered and hugged Weiss. _"Apparently this hugging thing is something I have to get used to."_

The tournament continued on, but Weiss and Ruby decided not to stick around to watch the rest. Instead, they set off to find Blake and Yang in the console gaming room. This time, Weiss made sure to be prepared as she entered the packed room. _"How does Blake handle this….?"_ Weiss thought, feeling the wave of warm, moist, and pungent air wash over her.

Weiss spotted Blake at the far corner of the room, squished in front of a small TV beside Yang. The two were controlling little squid faunus, coloring the ground with team colored ink. Weiss and Ruby snuck their way through the crowd to watch the match over their shoulders.

Blake snuck her way around the map with an ink sniper rifle, taking the high ground or emerging from behind her opponent. Yang, on the other hand, got in their faces with her pneumatic paint spray gun, zipping around with glee. Team Bumbleby won match after match, until being eliminated in the semi-finals – the after game results showed them losing by 1% of team colored area.

Blake and Yang exited the stage with reward gift cards for Crosshares Anime Shop, donated to the convention by Coco and Velvet. Ruby zipped over to high five her older sister. "That was awesome Yang!"

"I had no idea you were into the competitive side of this game, Blake. Your aim is incredible!" Weiss had tried the sniper before, to say she was unsuccessful was an understatement.

"Thanks Lily," Blake said, looking way in embarrassment. "I think I spend a little too much time playing this game, but I love the Fests." Weiss smiled at her, thinking, _"I should complement her more often…she's cute like this…"_ Yang untangled herself from her sister and grabbed a surprised Blake.

"Great work, partner! Semi-finals is our team best! Next year, let's win it all!" Yang pulled Blake closer by the waist and the two posed together with their prizes for Ruby to snap a pic.

After they separated, Weiss felt the need to escape the disgusting room. "What are you all planning on doing next? I need to take a break somewhere…Blake how do you handle this awful smell?"

Blake laughed shortly, tapping her neck to indicate the scarf she was wearing. She leaned down, cupping Weiss' chin, gently guiding her to smell the black fabric. Weiss tried to casually sniff, but being so close to Blake easily distracted her. Blake's collar bones were on display and curtains of black hair cut off the rest of the world. _"I wouldn't mind losing my life right now…"_

"I soaked it in perfume, the fragrance mostly masks the stink. They should have grooming requirements…with so many faunus and our strong sense of smell…Lily are you okay?"

Weiss mumbled something incoherently, swaying on her feet. Yang burst into laughter, slapping Weiss on the back.

"Ruby and I are going to run through Artist's Alley and prepare for lunch. Take 'gay mess' here with you to the calligraphy demonstration."

* * *

An hour later, Blake and Weiss exited the convention hall into the courtyard. Weiss carried a piece of paper with an impeccably drawn kanji – 愛. "Great work Lily, that looks way better than what I can do…You're incredibly graceful and smooth."

"Th-thank you Blake. This was a lot of fun."

"I'm glad, you looked so happy," Blake said, grinning widely. "We have to meet Ruby and Yang at the restaurant soon, do you want to put that away in your room?"

Weiss hesitantly nodded, unsure if it was the right time to let Blake into her room. "Sure, it's right next door." She led Blake through the courtyard to her hotel, dodging photographers and throngs of cosplayers.

As they approached the hotel, Blake slowed to a stop, staring intently at the hotel name. "Everything okay, Blake?" asked Weiss.

"Yeah…it's fine. I'll wait for you here." She turned as dropped to the ground, relaxing with her back against a tree. Weiss raised an eyebrow at her friend, before shrugging and jogging off. _"I hope I didn't choose a bad hotel…"_

With her try at calligraphy safely stored in her room and another box of pocky in hand, Weiss quickly returned to Blake. She was still seated beneath the tree, using her tail to shield her eyes from the sunlight reflecting off of the hotel windows. Weiss carefully crouched in front of the relaxed faunus, pulling a pocky from the box. "Say 'ahh'," Weiss cooed.

Blake's tail twitched a little, uncovering an amber eye. Seeing the treat, she smiled and opened her mouth allowing Weiss to gently place the sweet on her tongue. The little biscuit stick slowly disappeared, bite by bite, between Blake's lips. _"Oh my god I'm so gay."_

"Thanks Lily." Blake took the hand Weiss offered, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. "Yang already messaged me a few times, we should hurry over there."

* * *

A few minutes later, Weiss and Blake met up with the sisters at the restaurant Yang picked. The fancy restaurant was a long walk away from the convention center, ensuring the crowds would be small. The conveyor belt sushi place was well known for their high quality – Yang knew the tuna selection would please Blake.

The four young women settled at a booth near the back of the restaurant, Yang and Ruby sitting opposite Blake and Weiss. An empty chair sat at the end of the table, between Blake and Yang. Blake's ears were fully perked and her eyes darted around the conveyor belts.

"You must be really worried about my reaction to your girlfriend to bring me to a place like this," Blake murmured, licking her lips. She started in on her first cup of green tea, suspiciously eyeing Yang.

Yang noncommittedly shrugged and smiled at Weiss. "Be careful, Lily. Sitting between Blake and her sushi is dangerous." Blake's ears fell, frowning at her roomie.

"Maybe we should switch seats, Blake. I don't know any of these…" Weiss laughed nervously, watching the line of dishes rolling by. "I'm going to need your help."

"It's okay Lily, my arms are long enough to reach over you. You're a smol bean," Blake said, patting Weiss on the head.

"Excuse you!" Weiss sulked. "Rude."

Yang spoke up over Blake's laughter, excitedly brandishing her buzzing scroll. "She's here!"

Yang turned to face the door of the restaurant, waving over a woman who just entered. The tall woman was obscured by the sunlight beaming in through the restaurant windows as she worked her way toward the group.

"Everyone, this is my girlfriend – Winter." The darkened figure came into view, stepping up to the table. She was dressed in an Atlesan Military outfit, arms held behind her back at rest. Yang burst from her seat to give her a bear hug, lifting her into the air.

"Winter…Schnee? Now I get it…" Blake frowned slightly at the blushing woman, but reached out to shake her hand anyway.

Winter pushed Yang off of herself to take Blake's hand. "Lovely to meet you, Blake…Belladonna." The two locked eyes for a tense moment, before releasing each other's hand.

Winter settled down into the chair, recovering her grace. She sat with her back ramrod straight, readjusting her uniform slightly – the perfect image of military precision and strength. Ruby leaned past Yang to get a good look at her.

"Hi Winter, I'm Ruby!" She vibrated with excitement, her eyes gleaming.

Winter nodded at the young girl. "It's nice to meet you Ruby. Your sister has told me a lot about you – I hear you're an excellent fighter."

Ruby nodded passionately. "Hopefully, I can show you Crescent Rose later! And…maybe I can see your weapon?" Ruby craned her neck to catch a glimpse of the sabre on Winter's hip.

"Of course Ruby, I would be happy to."

Yang gestured to the last person at the table. "And this, is Lily White! We've known her for a long time online and we finally were able to meet up this year! She's a huge fan of anime and faunus culture, but this is the first time that she made it to a convention."

Weiss sat perfectly still, trapped between Blake and the endless parade of sushi. She hadn't said a single word during the introductions, keeping herself mostly obscured by Blake's pitch black hair. Blake leaned back, revealing the disguised heiress to her sister.

Winter's eyes bored into Weiss, recognition instantly apparent. "Nice to meet you….Lily…White."

"The pleasure is all mine…Winter."

* * *

Notes -

"...Faito! Ganbatte..." - "Fight! Good luck..."  
愛 - Love


	6. Into the Night

Winter's stare lingered upon Weiss for a short moment longer before mercifully returning to Blake. The two sisters had virtually no contact with each other since Winter handed off the role of heiress to the younger sister. This was the first time they've seen each other in over 5 years.

" _What are the chances?! Remain calm Weiss…I think she's playing along. I just need to make sure I don't say anything to reveal myself."_ The two women hadn't been very close by the very nature of their upbringing, but Weiss couldn't help but look up to her older sister. Unfortunately, once Winter joined the military, she became persona non grata at the Schnee Mansion.

"I'm surprised you're taking this so well, Ms. Belladonna," Winter revealed, taking in the appearance of the Menagerian Chieftain's daughter. "My family is hardly a friend of the faunus."

Blake returned Winter's gaze impassively. "Last I heard, you had separated yourself from the legacy of your family. My dad has talked about you a few times and said you were a good person." Blake turned to Yang, "And I trust Yang's judgement."

The exchange was interrupted by the waitress, who took the group's drink orders – milk, vitamin water, green tea, and two glasses of iced water. Blake glanced at Weiss as she ordered her drink, taking in her appearance – fidgety, avoiding eye contact, and sweating slightly; Blake could even hear Weiss' thundering heartbeat and smell the stress coming off of her. _"What is going on with her?"_ Blake wondered.

Winter's eyes tracked the waitress until her fox tail disappeared through the kitchen doors before continuing. "I appreciate your understanding. Your parents are wonderful people, they're doing so much for faunus equality. I – and my sister for that matter – never really bought into our father's racism," Winter explained, calmly folding her hands together on the table. "I suppose there is just something about the men in the family…"

Weiss shifted uncomfortably at the mention of herself. _"So she has been paying attention to the family…I'm surprised she heard anything about Whitley at all – father was very thorough in the cover up."_

"Your sister? From what I've seen, she's been following in your father's slimy footsteps. Only good thing I've heard about her is at least she's not sexually harassing the maids like your brother."

" _Oh…I guess word got out somehow…"_

Winter shook her head. "I'm sure it seems like she's obedient to father's wishes, but she and I each have our own way of subverting our father's will. You know, when she was young, she went behind father's back and refused to let any of the staff attend to her. So when the maids were supposed to be cleaning her room or helping her get dressed, they'd just relax on her couch. She insisted they call her 'Weiss' too."

Blake did not break eye contact with Winter while the waitress quickly slipped each person their drink. "So she doesn't like having people do things for her – I'm more concerned about her perpetuating support of discrimination, slavery, and violence toward faunus people."

"It's simply one of the many ways that Weiss defies father's control. Be careful with what you assume about her. Jacques takes every chance he has to make his position on faunus clear, but I doubt you've heard Weiss say a single negative thing about your people, nor has she ever instituted a policy for the SDC that wasn't an improvement for the faunus – something unheard of in Atlas." Winter tilted her head thoughtfully. "In fact, she may be more pro-faunus than I ever thought…" She smiled slightly, taking a short sip from her glass of water. "It's a careful line she needs to walk to prevent the company from falling into the hands of Whitley."

"I don't think faunus have the luxury of hoping that your sister is a secret advocate for us. We can't just assume that she is standing up for us…not with Jacques Schnee there. We get burned all the time by people who just want to seem like they support the faunus, but when it comes down to it they don't do a single thing for us."

Weiss squirmed in her seat. _"M-maybe I-I should come clean…Blake would want me to be honest! …but what if they tell someone? I can't have everyone knowing that I'm here! The Schnee heiress traipsing around an anime convention, wearing fox ears…I'd be lucky if father doesn't try to poison me. But there's no way I can continue like this without her knowing…"_

Yang cleared her throat to get everyone's attention, inclining her head toward the sushi. "Soooo shall we start eating?"

Reminded that there was sushi around, Blake's ears perked, her head whipping around. Weiss managed to duck under Blake, who practically jumped over her to grab a plate of maguro sashimi. "So, how did the two of you meet?" Weiss asked, secretly enjoying Blake's warmth again.

Ruby and Yang turned into a blur of arms and colored plates and with Blake busy drooling over her plates of fish, Winter was able to shoot Weiss a withering look unnoticed by the others. Yang gave her exasperated girlfriend a huge grin, silently asking permission to tell the story.

"So we were having a big summer beach party on Patch. Dad and Uncle Qrow thought if we had a big fun party we could help keep the Grimm away from the island – but I think that was just an excuse to convince people to come." Yang paused to stuff a huge fried tempura roll into her mouth. "Mmhrh thrrr Winmmh-" Winter cut her girlfriend off with a swat on the leg.

"Please Yang, for the love of dust…"

"Srrhhy"

"Qrow harassed me for a whole week before managing to somehow get General Ironwood on his side. He ordered me to attend with him."

"So Ruby and I were horsing around on the beach when she and General Ironwood arrived. I was carrying Ruby over my head, wearing my yellow bikini – I've showed you pictures, Lily." Weiss choked on her drink, lapsing into a coughing fit.

"Yes, you did send me pictures, you brute," she said stiffly, crossing her arms over her chest. _"It's just not fair… Maybe I should start massaging them again, I heard that helps. Even Winter has bigger ones…"_

Yang giggled, "She couldn't resist this hotness – she was staring so hard she walked straight into a trashcan and totally ate it! General Ironwood said he had never seen Winter so flustered. Ya know, she gets flustered just like you do Lily!" Weiss laughed nervously, Winter facepalmed. "We got to talking around the bonfire that night and before we knew it, we were in my bedroom f-"

"YANG."

Yang looked at Winter, clearly weighing the consequences of her next action. "Uhh. Well. Uncle Qrow caught her leaving my room the following morning…he couldn't believe his eyes! We ended up dating; we've been together for two years now."

"And you managed to hide it from us," Blake grumbled. She set her chopsticks down and exhaled slowly. "Was it only because of me that you didn't say anything?"

"Yes…I'm sorry, Ms. Belladonna. I feared what your reaction would be, so I asked Yang to keep our relationship confidential."

She sighed slightly, scratching behind one fur-covered ear. "I wish you hadn't worried; I'm not so quick to judge simply because I'm an activist."

Winter nodded shortly at Blake. Looking past her, Winter could see her sister staring intently at Blake's ear. It had been 20 years since she heard Weiss squeal about cute things, but Winter could see it clearly in her eyes. "So Lily. You're the only person at the table that I know nothing about. Why don't you tell me about yourself?"

Weiss blinked in surprise, clearly uncomfortable that the conversation had somehow landed on her. "Well, I initially met Blake online…through Remblr. She has this amazing yuri blog and I love her fan art. Eventually, I guess she decided to message the weirdo that reblogged every single post she made." She paused to take a few bites of food – a beef udon she ordered off the menu. "Outside of that, I'm in an online correspondence school for business."

"I see." Winter had finally started in on her food, which Yang had passed her without a word – apparently she knew her girlfriend's tastes that well.

"I remember she was super clueless about the faunus; Blake spent hours talking to her about it. Living in Atlas must be wild – what a backwards place. Lily knows a lot about faunus culture now, especially the mating customs!" Yang suggestively waggled her eyebrows across the table at Blake and Weiss, before being hit square on the nose by a shoyu packet. "Aw Lily, don't be like that!"

Ruby giggled and snatched up the little red packet, dumping it over some wasabi. "Are you interested in Faunus culture at all, Winter? Have the two of you watched any anime together?"

"Well…I've only watched a few shows with Yang, but I've enjoyed what I've seen. I must say I like the shows with male Schnee villains. They're not exaggerated much from the kind of person father actually is."

"I was sure to show her all the basics and yuri staples. We also set up a few cosplays for her this weekend! If she lets her hair down she's a perfect Shizuma!" Yang's grin turned lewd before she announced, "Sometimes I call her Shizuma-sama when we're doing it."

The sound of Weiss' pained 'ewwwww' and Ruby's retching noises covered Winter's distressed squawk while she covered her bright red face with her hands. After a moment to compose herself, Winter responded simply, "No more nookie. And no more cuddles."

Yang's face paled. "N-no please be reasonable! I'm sorry! I can't survive without hugs!"

While Yang begged Winter for leniency, Blake turned to chat with Weiss. "Are you enjoying the sushi Lily? This is your first time having this kind of food right?"

"Yeah! I've been trying a little of everything…except the raw stuff. I'm a little scared of it…"

"There's nothing to worry about, it's perfectly safe. This is a good restaurant with clean and safe fish – your stomach acid will handle the rest. Here." Blake picked up one of her remaining maguro sushi with her chopsticks and dipped it in shoyu. "Say 'ahh'."

" _Oh my god am I dreaming right now hhghhgn."_ Trying to remain calm and collected, she leaned forward slightly and allowed Blake to place the proffered bit of food into her mouth. Realizing she was staring deeply into Blake's eyes, she quickly looked away, chewing and swallowing the unfamiliar dish. "That…was really good! The texture isn't what I expected."

Blake smiled widely. "I'm glad you like it! I have lots of food I need to show you."

"Would you mind picking out a few things for me?" This certainly wasn't Weiss trying to get Blake to lean against her again. _"Definitely not,"_ she thought as Blake pressed up against her to point out dishes for her to grab. _"Weiss Schnee has more class than that."_

* * *

Half an hour later with her appetite for fish sated, Blake's focus returned to the conversation going on at the table. Meeting Winter Schnee was not something she was expecting to happen, but the woman seemed nice enough. Blake trusted Yang's judgement; the two had known each other for a long time – even since before she met Lily. Winter's fit form, her sharp looks, and the slight cracks in her serious façade – it was easy to see why Yang liked her. The two were good for each other.

Blake glanced at Lily out of the corner of her eye, admiring the cute smol lesbian. She seemed to be more at ease, but had largely remained silent throughout the meal. Her thoughts drifted to last night, seeing Lily dressed up – her beautiful dress, soft hands, intoxicating scent, her clear blue eyes…..and white hair….

On further examination, there were a lot of similarities between Winter and Lily. A few searches on her scroll later, Blake had called up a number of pictures of the Schnee heiress. She discreetly glanced between her scroll and Lily, a suspicion slowly growing in her mind. _"Could Lily be….? There's no way…is she related to Weiss Schnee?"_

She was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of her scroll receiving a message. To her surprise, the message was from Lily: "Hey, I need to talk to you about something. Can you come to my room after we're done here?" Blake nodded at Lily, who quietly pressed a key card into her hand.

She quickly messaged back, "I need to stop at my room first, I'll meet you there." 

* * *

With the lunch a big success, the group split apart for the afternoon activities. Yang, Winter, and Ruby headed off to relax in an anime theater, one of the many rooms dedicated to playing episodes from various shows throughout the weekend. Blake and Weiss were to return to their hotel rooms to freshen up.

The hotel room was freshly cleaned when Weiss finally made it back. Exhausted, she flopped down onto the bed and kicked her shoes off. After some time, she wiggled to the edge of the bed to reach into her suitcase, fishing out a large neko dango plush. Once in a comfortable position on the bed, she pressed her face into the round kitty, steeling herself for the upcoming confrontation.

The silence in the room was suddenly broken by footsteps. Weiss automatically launched into action, glyphs blooming behind her pulsing with energy, a giant armored hand and sword materializing through one.

"Calm down Weiss, it's me." Somehow Winter broke into her room, and was standing before her with a mixed expression on her face. "I'm glad to see that you've been keeping up your training. Last time we practiced, you couldn't summon at all."

"Oh…sorry," Weiss said, cutting off her semblance. "Um…hi! Heh…what a surprise meeting you here, Winter! I thought you were with the others…" Her voice died, not knowing what to say. She retrieved her cat from the floor where it landed and cradled it close. _"Crap…"_

"I said I needed to step away for a bit. Military business and the like." She took a seat in a nearby chair. "So. 'Lily' I must say I'm surprised. I never thought the next time we would see each other would be here. Apparently, my sister is the hardcore anime fan Yang sometimes talks about."

"Well…I wasn't expecting this either, to be quite honest...and I hope that dolt hasn't said too much about me."

"It must be fate, the two of us meeting up like this. I'm glad I have some connection to you after all these years," Winter continued, moving to sit beside Weiss on the bed. "Seeing how close Ruby and Yang are…I know I haven't been a very good older sister. I hope I can fix that now." She placed her hand on Weiss' shoulder, swallowing thickly.

"I would like that very much," Weiss stammered, in a small voice.

There was a heavy silence in the room. "So…when are you going to ask Blake out?"

'Wh-what? Am I that obvious?" Weiss hadn't said a single word to anyone about her growing feelings for Blake.

"It's painfully obvious, Weiss." Winter shook her head, smiling faintly. "Not to mention that Yang has been telling me how gay 'Lily' and Blake are for each other. Everyone has been placing bets as to which of you will make the first move."

Weiss groaned and flopped back onto the bed, covering her eyes with a hand.

"I put $100 down on you making the move," Winter admitted, grinning in a very Yang-ish way. She looked at the black mochi cat in Weiss' arms, raising an eyebrow. Embarrassed, Weiss dropped her head, shoving the furry black ball out of sight. With a quiet chuckle, Winter stood and walked to the window. "Well, I believe she is exiting the elevator right now so I will take my leave. Let's have some fun together this weekend. And I…I want you to know that I love you Weiss." With that, Winter disappeared through the penthouse hotel suite window.

As the shock of the moment passed, Weiss could only clench her hands and squeeze her eyes shut, frantically trying to keep the tears at bay. _"Winter…I love you too."_

There was a light knock at the door. _"But the timing of this!"_ She cleared her throat and blinked furiously, trying to strike a casual pose sitting on the bed before Blake entered the room with the key card she gave to her.

Blake gently closed the door behind her, looking around in awe. "I knew you were well off but this is incredible, Lily." She plopped herself down on the floor, rubbing her hands on the high quality carpet. "What did you want to talk about?"

" _I guess it's now or never…I can trust Blake, she won't expose me to the world...Just do it Weiss…!"_

"B-blake…I have something I need to tell you." Shakily, she put her hair up into her trademark off-center ponytail and wiped the makeup from her scarred eye. "My name isn't Lily White…it is Weiss Schnee."


End file.
